Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1887-09-06

Tile Round SIMS Some Of Them Pay for
the Privilege of Stealing.
The establishment in Paris of the
gigantic bazars known as the Bon
Marche, the Louvre. the Pygmalion,
the Printemps, and the like, has given
rise 10 new form of crime in the
shape of continual petty thefts, often
committed by persons whose state OF
fortune and social position not only
elevate them above want, but above
suspicion. On the great opening days
especially, when every department is
crowded with customers and every
counter is loaded with tempting art-
Giles, the apparent ease and immunity
with which theft can be effected,
Joined to the attractiveness of the
goods, are sure to lure numbers OF
women (for these thefts are rarely
committed by men) into surreptitious-
ly appropriating various articles. The
average of these cases of theft is one
hundred and fifty day. The criminal
is never arrested in the act;
that would create confusion and
cause n scandal. A detective in
plain clothes follows her to the door,
and when she is about to quit the shop
requests her politely to step with him
into a back room. There she is
searched, and the stolen articles are
taken from her. If it is a first of1ense.
she is dismissed with reprimand.
When detected in second theft the
offender is conducted before the adj
ministrative council of the house, her
name and address are demanded, and
her abode is searched through the me-
dunn of a permit, which she is re-
quired to give. Usually a large guam
tity of merchandise. for whose pres
ence she is unable to account, is found
in her rooms. The unused articles
are taken away, and she is obliged to
furnish a written promise of payment
to the shop. She is besides compelled
to pay fine, varying according to her
means and her social position, from 81
to $4,000, for the benefit of the poor Of
the quarter. There are, in fact,
certain privileged quarters in
Paris where there are no poor
people, so amply are the needs of the
INDECENT provided for from this source.
Should the thief prove contumacious,
and refuse to give her name and adj
dress, she is handed over to the police,
and is prosecuted in ordinary fashion,
Among these shop thieves are num-
bered ladies Of the highest rank, the
wives of foreign Ambassadors, etc.
Some Of these women are undoubtedly
the victimes of kleptomania. One OF
them, an immensely rich old Countess,
is so well known that whenever she
enters one of the great shops all the
watchers" are on the alert. They
are sure TO catch her sooner or later in
the act of helping herself to some
trifling object, such as a par of gloves,
q box Of writing paper, a pocket-book,
or bow of ribbon. She is then po-
litely requested to 60 before the adj
minisrative council, and for each of
Tense is fined 800, which she pays
down at once without protest or
without murmur. Among the
poorer thieves the most frequent of
tenders are governesses out of work,
and their thefts are almost invariably
of gloves il is almost indispensable
for them to appear well gloved when
they go in search Of a situation, They
can not afford the expense, and so they
yield to temptation. The excuse Of
actual want is very rare. Very seldom
ore useful garments stolen. even for
children Ribbons. gloves. knicknacks,